On the Mechanism of Pulsed Electron Beam Production From an Uninterrupted Plasma Cathode

Electron extraction from a hollow cathode plasma discharge through a primary anode, biased with a dc accelerating potential, is modulated to produce pulsed or continuous electron beams without the interruption of the plasma cathode discharge. This is achieved with the addition of a secondary anode, within the hollow cathode. When this secondary anode is electrically connected to the primary anode, beam production ceases; when the secondary anode is electrically isolated, beam production resumes. Previous works demonstrated the utility and operation of this device; however, the precise physical principles allowing beam modulation were not well characterized. In this paper, we show that beam modulation can be understood in terms of changes in plasma potential within the hollow cathode that either promote or prevent the formation of an electron sheath at the exit of the hollow cathode, which is mediated by the electrical state of the secondary anode. Maintaining a plasma within the hollow cathode during a state change of the secondary anode depends on the secondary anode meeting the criteria for global nonambipolar flow. These effects are explored with both the Langmuir probe measurements within the hollow cathode during the steady-state operation, and the high-speed current and voltage monitoring during beam pulses.